Category B applicants can meet BCIT's English 11/12 requirements for listening, speaking, reading and writing by either upgrading skills, or verifying competency with test results.
Category B applicants will generally be new Canadians or international students who have not completed 2 years of high school or post-secondary education in an English speaking country. Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in all four language skills.
At BCIT, entrance requirements are program specific. Be sure to check your program entrance requirements for the level of English required.
There are five basic options for meeting the program entrance requirements for English:
BCIT's International Student Entry Program (ISEP) offers full-time comprehensive academic English preparation for international students who wish to attend BCIT programs.
| If your program requires: | You need this mark in ISEP: |
|---|---|
| English 12 B or better | Level 6 – 70% Minimum in each course |
| English 12 C+ | Level 6 – 60% Minimum in each course |
| English 12 C | Level 6 – 50% Minimum in each course |
| English 12 C-/Pass | Level 5 – 65% Minimum in each course |
| English 11 B or better | Level 5 – 50% Minimum in each course |
More information about the International Student Entry Program
TopBCIT's Professional English Language Development (PELD) courses offer part-time upgrading courses with a focus on reading and writing for English-language learners. Applicants must satisfy the speaking and listening requirements by taking the COMM 0030 course or the COMM 0033 test.
| If your program requires: | You need this mark in COMM 0005 | And this mark in COMM 0030* |
|---|---|---|
| English 12 B or better | 80% | 80% |
| English 12 C+ | 70% | 65% |
| English 12 C | 60% | 65% |
| English 12 C-/Pass | 50% | 65% |
* A mark of 70% in COMM 0031 or COMM 0033 is accepted as equivalent to a mark of 65% in COMM 0030.
* A mark of 80% in COMM 0031 or COMM 0033 is accepted as equivalent to a mark of 80% in COMM 0030.
Please note: because PELD courses are part-time, they are not suitable for International applicants who require a study permit.
More information about Professional English Language Development courses
TopTOEFL iBT (internet-based test) scores are accepted by BCIT. TOEFL paper-based tests are not accepted.
There must be no more than two years between your test date and your BCIT program start date. BCIT's institution code for TOEFL is 9110.
| If your program requires: | You need these scores on the TOEFL: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | Listening | Speaking | Reading | Writing | |
| English 12 (B) | 94 | 22 | 26 | 22 | 24 |
| English 12 (C+) or lower |
91 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 23 |
| If your program is: | You need these scores on the TOEFL: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | Listening | Speaking | Reading | Writing | |
| Technology Entry Upgrading Program* | 80 | 20 | 22 | 17 | 19 |
| Business Management Studies Upgrading Program | 70 | 18 | 20 | 15 | 17 |
*Category B applicants who complete the Technology Entry program must still meet BCIT’s speaking and listening requirements by achieving the necessary score in the COMM 0030 course or the COMM 0033 test.
TopIELTS academic format test results are accepted by BCIT. IELTS general training format test results are not accepted.
There must be no more than two years between your test date and your BCIT program start date.
| If your program requires: | You need these scores on the IELTS academic test: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | Listening | Speaking | Reading | Writing | |
| English 12 (B) | 6.5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
| English 12 (C+) | 6.5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| If your program is: | You need these scores on the TOEFL: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | Listening | Speaking | Reading | Writing | |
| Technology Entry Upgrading Program* | 6.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
| Business Management Studies Upgrading Program | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
*Category B applicants who complete the Technology Entry program must still meet BCIT’s speaking and listening requirements by achieving the necessary score in the COMM 0030 course or the COMM 0033 test.
More information about IELTS
IELTS testing in Vancouver (through SFU)
Students who wish to meet BCIT's four language skills requirements (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) through multiple tests (or a combination of courses and tests) can use any one of the following combinations to satisfy all four language skill requirements:
| If you satisfy the reading & writing requirements this way: | You may satisfy the speaking & listening requirements this way: |
|---|---|
| COMM 0015 test | COMM 0030 course OR COMM 0033 test |
| Language Proficiency Index (LPI) | COMM 0030 course OR COMM 0033 test |
| English 12 course or equivalent | COMM 0030 course OR COMM 0033 test |
| Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) | COMM 0030 course OR COMM 0033 test |
| Eligible post-secondary English Composition or Communication course(s) | COMM 0030 course OR COMM 0033 test |
| IELTS/TOEFL Reading and Writing | COMM 0030 course OR COMM 0033 test |
| BCIT COMM 0015 OR COMM 0005 | IELTS/TOEFL Speaking and Listening tests* |
*Please note that students may not combine scores from IELTS and TOEFL tests.
See the Equivalencies and Upgrading Options for English 11/12 page for additional information on meeting BCIT’s reading and writing requirements.
Applicants who wish to use the COMM 0030 course or the COMM 0033 test to meet BCIT’s English language speaking and listening requirements must achieve the following minimum scores:
| COMM 0030 Course |
COMM 0033 Test |
|
|---|---|---|
| English 12 B or higher | 80% | 70% |
| English 12 C to C+ | 65% | 60% |
| English 12 | 65% | 50% |